Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- According to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of China, since the beginning of October 2020, there has been a significant growth in the country’s tourism sector.

In particular, from 1 to 8 October, on the occasion of the celebration of the Day of the formation of the PRC and the Mid-Autumn Festival, about 500 million Chinese (in 2019 - 780 million people) traveled inside the country. Revenues from these travels reached US$46 billion.

According to experts, growth in China’s tourism sector was made possible by the following measures by Beijing.

1) Providing benefits from travel companies and effective control measures for the COVID-19 epidemic. More than 1,000 attractions across China have offered visitors free admission or discounted tickets. In turn, the government has ensured the resumption of the work of more than 90% of hotels in compliance with sanitary and epidemiological safety standards in all tourist facilities.

2) Reducing the cost of tourist travel. The average cost of booking has decreased by about 20% compared to 2019. On the eve of the holidays, bookings of train and air tickets have increased. As a result, on 1 October, in the PRC, a record was set for rail passenger traffic (15 million people). Train tickets for the most popular tourist destinations were sold out. The volume of reservations for domestic flights increased by 11%.

However, experts believe the resumption of tourism is risky, as millions of Chinese travel the country without respecting social distancing norms. At the same time, it will be a test of what the rest of the world will go through with the restoration of global tourism in the future. If the PRC manages to avoid an increase in the number of infections, then this will be proof that China is indeed entering a post-coronavirus period.

In general, according to experts, the surge in tourist activity in the PRC indicates a gradual stabilization of the epidemiological situation and the recovery of the country’s tourism industry. This will increase the volume of domestic consumption, which is considered by Beijing as one of the main drivers of the economy after the pandemic.